Currently industrial automation systems are built using a hierarchical top-down approach, yielding tightly coupled and low flexibility systems. Holonic and intelligent agent-based industrial control systems have the potential to be much more highly robust and flexible systems with very loose coupling between subsystems. Despite this potential these systems are slow to be adopted by industry. Th...

New paradigms in industrial automation aims towards intelligence distribution among components of the productive process and through the integration of several systems and applications in the companies, searching processes improvement, supporting decision-making tasks by real time information available, reliable and opportune. This work proposes industrial automation architecture based on multi...

This paper examines automation design issues related to a simple Biotechnology protocol case study. The example chosen is the preparation of RNA from tissue-cultured cells. The starting point in automation design is to first set the process as a manual labor production line and identify processes that can be automated. The paper explores the vast range of possible solutions, some may be robotic...

Field-level networks have been one of the keys to modern automation systems. Be it in factory, process, or building automation, networks allow for horizontal and vertical integration of distributed devices and functions. This paper reviews the evolution of field-level networks comprising fieldbus systems, industrial Ethernet, and recent industrial wireless networks. The main focus is on demonst...

The paper describes the automation of the shoe grinding process using an industrial robot. One of the major problems of flexible automation using industrial robots is how to avoid joint limitations, singular configuration and obstacles. This problem can be solved using kinematically redundant robots. Due to the circular shape of the grinding disc, the robot becomes kinematically redundant. This...

Quasi-dynamic Analysis, Design Optimization, and Evaluation of a Two-finger Underactuated Hand M. A. Saliba and C. W. de Silva RIAL–Robotics and Industrial Automation Laboratory, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Malta, Msida, MSD 2080, Malta. E-mail: [email protected]. Corresponding author. bIndustrial Automation Laboratory, Department of Mechanical E...

In the context of the 4 industrial revolution, the knowledge and management of the precise topological and geographical location of industrial equipment is a growing necessity. However, a holistic concept for topology and location management in processand factory automation networks down to the field level is yet unknown. In this work, existing network and location management mechanisms are sur...

Collaborative industrial systems are becoming an emergent paradigm towards flexibility. One promising solution are service-oriented industrial automation systems, but integrated software methodologies and major frameworks for the engineering are still missing. This paper presents an overview of the current results on a unified and integrated methodology based on intrinsic and novel features of ...